The Danger in Starting a Fire

[Keira Priest]

Theme

Dammit, Cryax. When one got right down to it, those were really the only words to express everyone's feelings regarding what had recently happened between the Red Ravens criminal syndicate and one now very infamous [member="Cryax Bane"], former President of the organization but now public enemy number one in most every member's books, and for a very good reason. The Chiss had betrayed them all without hesitation, disrupting their Cryptnet and all but rendering it useless, tearing down all that carefully calculated code and replacing it with malware, taking all of the information on the Ravens, including their roster most importantly, and bringing it to the Sith. These were only two of his crimes on a list of thousands. But they were among the hardest to forgive. The Ravens were an organization that the man had helped build from its meager beginnings, and without hesitation he'd torn it down right before their eyes.

For Keira, the public wrongdoings were only the half of it. Certainly it was an atrocious thing that had been done, and it was something that would be paid for in blood. Nothing else would serve. To her, the betrayal was just as much a personal affair. There were very few people she could say she trusted with most everything, and he was one of them. Had been one of them. Now he was nothing, null, just another criminal, more competition to contend with. But above all, he was enemy. That wasn't a sentiment she could take fully to heart just yet, however. It wasn't easy to go from counting someone as family and as close as a brother to loathing them just as she would anyone else that had crossed her or hers. It would ultimately take time to navigate through the maze that made up her thoughts on the subject to reach one endgame: whatever Cryax had been to her in the past was gone. He was no longer hers or anyone's friend, and he deserved to be treated as such.

It wasn't as simple for her as it seemed to be for the others. Ever since the two had made acquaintance they had saved each other's lives, quite literally from the beginning. The pattern had continued throughout their years of knowing each other, a bond eventually forming there that extended past the two of them being nothing more than business partners. It was something that transcended friendship, something akin to what she considered to be nearly familial. Next to her older brothers he was as close to family as anyone could and would ever get, and family ties weren't so easily severed as others. Those were wounds that took time to rationalize, to contemplate and, most importantly, to heal. But the scar there would always be rough and jagged, roughly sutured, a reminder of what had once been. Despite what most seemed to believe, she was capable of having feelings every once in awhile.

For these reasons she currently walked the streets of the Coruscant undercity, her presence in the Force akin to any other darksider that called the planet home. It was moments like these she was thankful for how her alignment read to those sensitive to the energy field. Unless they were looking for something out of the ordinary, she would hopefully read as just any other Sith. And that was what she intended. No interference was wanted for what she intended to accomplish this day. Contrary to what the others were likely expecting, she wasn't aiming to bring him back by force, or injure him at all, really. This was a time to talk, explain, work through why all of this had happened, why he had chosen to betray those he seemed to love like family just as strongly as they had once returned the favor, at a different point in time. A better point in time. Right now she was on the search for answers, however painful they might have been.

Her progress halted, and she regarded the building that had been specified, the sign cheerfully reading 'Happyland Morgue'. It was a far cry from the Dragon Palace Casino that sprawled Antecedent, and frankly she had expected something a bit more upscale. The Chiss had seemed to enjoy his luxurious quarters when he still called himself a member of their Unkindness, but now she wasn't sure what to expect from him. What was there to expect, let alone say? This was where his office supposedly was, and that was a start. So after a moment she stepped inside, navigating to where she sensed Cryax to be, stopping just outside the door and taking a breath to steady herself, exhaling slowly, the shakiness in her breath audible had there been anyone close enough to hear. It was rare for her to be uncertain about much of anything, but here she was becoming anxious over a simple conversation. Well, maybe not quite so simple.

Without a word she stepped into the room, her amber eyes smoldering with a number of emotions; anger, confusion and most of all, sadness. Just laying eyes on the man again was enough to bring a tidal wave of emotion to the surface, and she swallowed the lump that rose in her throat, her voice still cracking despite these efforts, barely above a whisper. "Why?"

 

[Cryax Bane]

As Keira entered the room, the first thing she would see was Cryax Bane hunching over a still-breathing near-human on a hover gurney. The conscious man’s heavy lidded eyes betrayed the effects of hard hitting sedatives, and the hovering Chiss held a scalpel in his gloved hand. The coppery scent of blood mixed with antiseptics permeated every fiber of the room. It was the kind of smell that would stay lingering in one’s nose for days. Bane’s hand trembled slightly as he drew the scalpel vertically down the man’s torso, slicing into the warm flesh. His head tilted to the side at the sound of blasters being drawn from various positions around the room. His Verpine bodyguards’ antennas were honed to detect intruders even before the security cameras could, and they had their weapons drawn at a solitary visitor.

Lifting his head from his work, the Chiss blinked and squinted at Keira Ticon. She stood in the middle of the autopsy room, her red rimmed eyes staring straight at him. If she even noticed the Verpine henchmen, she kept it to herself. All of her focus was on him.

“Why?” she questioned, her voice hoarse with emotion.

The man on the table moaned, and Cryax patted his victim’s arm gently, a tender soothing gesture. Then he spoke, his luminous red eyes showing very little emotion.

“You know what the best thing about computers is, Keira? Once you master them, they do exactly what you want, without question. The more complex the system, the more they can do, and the power in your hands feels exquisite. The boundaries just disappear.”

Letting out a grunt, Cryax reached into the still-breathing man’s open wound and wrested out his liver.

“Why did I do the things I did? Because I needed to show the Red Ravens just what kind of power I have always been capable of wielding. In their rush to befriend all of my enemies, Chiasa and Patricia seem to have forgotten.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A slow shake of the head was her only response, and Keira ignored the weapons she could otherwise sense pointed directly at her, aiming to kill. Being threatened with death was a daily occurrence. It was something she could shrug off and ignore, pushing it to the back of her mind until the more important details were sussed out. The emotionality of this situation was almost entirely new to her. Typically she was guarded around others, not letting them past her boundaries, that common courtesy that she showed everyone if it was returned. Cryax was one individual that she'd allowed to cross that line, and in that it seemed she'd been gravely mistaken. In the blink of an eye he'd taken that trust and fed it to the flames as if it hadn't meant anything. There was a number of words to describe people like him, and a few more creative ones that she could think up. Traitor. Coward.

Her right hand rotated slowly, and she moved it sharply downwards in an attempt to relieve the bodyguards present of their weapons at once. Not due to her immediate concern, but more in a display of power that yes, she was as capable as him and more, and that no, she wouldn't be showing any leniency just because they had once called each other friend and family. Just as quickly as they had become allies they had now turned antagonists, an irreversible change. It was obvious he wasn't searching for forgiveness, at least on the surface, and she wasn't looking out to absolve him of all the sins he'd committed. What was done was done, and there wouldn't be any making amends. There was a new target on the playing field, and his name was [member="Cryax Bane"]. Just as ruthlessly as she had sought out the other enemies of the Ravens before, she would come for him. But later.

Taking a few steps towards him, testing the waters, she stopped once they were just beyond arm's length. Briefly she glanced to the barely conscious man between them with disinterest, her gaze quickly returning to the Chiss holding the scalpel. So this was what he had become, or perhaps been reduced to, after abandoning the Ravens. Nothing more than a common laborer. It would have been disappointing, had she had any true, genuine feelings left for him. There was potential within him, that much had been obvious when he was once leading the syndicate to victory in the Outer Rim. But just as quickly as it had surfaced it was now being thrown aside, washed down the drain to make room for whatever end he was striving towards now. If he'd been trying to impress them, this certainly wasn't the way to do it. At the same time, it was nice to see him knocked down a few pegs. To be below them, at least figuratively.

"You can stop lying to me. You know I can sense it. I don't want to hear whatever lines you've been rehearsing. I want the truth." The look in her eyes communicated that she wouldn't accept anything less, and that she wasn't willing to listen to whatever he had to say that would allow him to skirt around it. This wasn't the time to play chicken. For once in his life, he would have to own up completely to what he did and why, or else suffer the consequences. She wasn't entirely sure what those would be, or if there would be any, but it was always easier to play a game like this when your opponent wasn't aware of and couldn't call your bluff. He'd seen her on the battlefield plenty of times to have an idea of what she was capable of, and that would be enough of an imminent threat, even if it wasn't really quite so dangerous.

The fingers of her mechanical hand barely brushed across the hilt of her lightsaber, an unspoken threat that she wouldn't hesitate to act on at least part of what had been silently communicated. It was evident then more than ever that she no longer considered him to be someone worth saving. Standing before her was a man whose life was worth as much to her as another adversary, which was to say less than nothing at all. It would weigh much more on her heart to take his life than any other's, and it would come with more emotional turmoil than all of this had already caused, but she was willing to make that sacrifice if it would keep the Ravens safe. If it would keep her family from harm, she would do anything necessary. Something it seemed he himself was hardly capable of, given his behavior.

Tears threatened to spill, but she managed to blink them back for the moment. "I don't care what you needed to show the rest of them, and I don't care how you feel you've been slighted. Talk to me like the friends we used to be. Back when I could call you brother."

 

[Cryax Bane]

As Keira rolled her hand, one by one, Cryax’s Verpine henchmen dropped their blaster, their antennas excitedly feeling around in the air as they spoke to one another. The Chiss narrowed his eyes at his friend, or former friend, as she regarded him with the eyes of an enemy. The humanoids exchanged confused glances with one another, and then turned their large eggplant eyes on Bane, who waved his hand in a signal that said “stand down.”

“Don’t,” he warned her, his blood red eyes cutting to Keira’s hand which was hovering too close to her lightsaber for his comfort. “It’s a fool’s errand, Keira. If you kill me, the One Sith will hunt you and put you down like a rabid dog.”

“Do not make Chiasa’s mistake, and assume to be on equal footing with Sith Lords. She will end up paying dearly for it.”

A regretful frown crossed his face and then soon disappeared. Dropping the fresh liver in the storage container, the Chiss sealed it shut, and then turned his head towards the man on the table. The victim had bled out and now his head lolled to the side, his eyes glassy, like a dead fish. Oops. Bane waved his hand, signalling to a white-coated assistant who took ahold of the table and slowly pushed it down the corridor where the body would be put in the crematorium.

Cryax stood in silence, watching her. His mind wandered to the days after Keira’s rescue from Anja Aj Rou’s ship in Unknown space. Out of all of the Ravens, Keira and he had become the closest. They both knew the pain of imprisonment and torture and the ruination it left on the soul. Like he had done with Jalek, Bane felt a deep-seated urge to push the knife into those he loved deeply, letting them bleed out until they wised up and left. Wherever he was going, following him would be fatal.

“This,” he gestured to the morgue. “Looks like rock bottom, doesn’t it?” A smile passed over his lips, breaking his mask for a moment.

“For me, this is salvation.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

The corners of her mouth turned up in a quiet, bitter laugh, a contrast to what somber emotion she had been showing earlier. If this was his attempt to dissuade her and shake her from this path, then he was sorely mistaken in how easy it would be to do so. There was one virtue that had stuck with her throughout her life regardless of whatever she'd been through, and that was her firmly rooted stubbornness. Once her mind was set to a task, she would be hard-pressed to give up without a fight, if at all. Whether he liked it or not she was in this for the long run, as a former friend and future enemy. But for now they were at a stalemate, hovering on the fine line that separated the two, feelings blurred. It was obvious they both still cared for the other, or neither would be standing in their current positions. How much remained to be seen.

At first it seemed as if he was reverting back to how the two once had been, always watchful of her safety and anything that might jeopardize it. Just as quickly his demeanor changed, once more cold as ice, holding her at a healthy distance and betraying little emotion. It was blatant, at least to her, that part of this was just an act. Somewhere beneath the surface the man she had once known lurked. It would take careful prodding to draw him out, but it certainly wasn't impossible. She intended to show him that this was far from over, and that it wasn't quite as easy as running off to Coruscant in order to avoid any further contact with the Ravens. Their promise was just as dark and foreboding as his, and his future would be just as dark if he was captured by any of the other syndicate members in the future.

"You know what else is a fool's errand, Cryax? Betraying the Ravens. The one detail you seem to forget is that we're criminals, just like you. We're ruthless, just like you. And just like you, those that wronged us will pay dearly. It might not be today, tomorrow, or even months from now, but rest assured, you won't be kept waiting terribly long. I would suggest keeping your guards close at hand. You're going to need them." In an anti-thesis of that her hand dropped to her side, lightsaber remaining untouched and unignited. Both of their weapons would no doubt be put to use later, when the war between former allies was fully at large. For now it would be waged in the shadows, through methods the both of them were intrinsically familiar with. The price, however, still contained its same potent lethality.

Her amber eyes met his crimson ones without hesitation, almost daring him to make any move. There was still an uncertainty there, however, that in the instance of his reacting violently she wasn't entirely sure if she'd be capable of retaliating in kind. It was still too soon for her to even remotely consider injuring him in any way, though there were moments when the mere thought was entertained for some time. But she knew that if it came down to the wire she wouldn't dare do anything similar. Not yet. Not now. They both needed time to think about this, to consider the implications it brought on those they still dared to call friend and comrade. This was a dangerous game that no one was quite prepared to play just yet, no matter the brave face they were putting on.

"I know I'm hardly equals with any of them. But unlike you, I won't hesitate to do what needs to be done. I won't run from my problems. Because unlike you, I'm not a coward." At any other time she would have been the one defending him, justifying his actions in the eyes of others. Now she wasn't hesitating in tearing him down, even if it would ultimately end up costing her her life. That was a gamble she'd taken by simply arriving on Coruscant, and it meant little if she continued now. It was up to him just how much he still cared about her, and whether he would be willing to show that side of himself again or not, if even for a scant few moments.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Like tiny red suns, Bane’s eyes pulsed with anger. Whether genuine or for effect, emotions were finally breaking through his facade. In his time running the Red Ravens, Cryax had become a consummate performer. Whatever role he played, best friend, worst enemy, lover, brother, he played them all with gusto, and sometimes even believed his own act. His brow narrowed, face full of amused malice. Go on and attack me. I dare you.

“Don’t threaten me, Keira,” he countered. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m threatened. I know exactly what the Red Ravens are. I helped make you what you are. Some gratitude you all showed me with this Rebel truce nonsense.” A blue-skinned hand waved dismissively, scalpel glinting in the flickering light. A vein snaked down his forehead as the Chiss held the instrument in a death grip.

“Newsflash, Keira. Did you know that Patricia Susan Garter once sold our secrets to Kian Karr of Republic? Did you know she was planning to turn the Stargo droids against me? In fact, how do I know that you yourself were not part of her plan to coup the Red Ravens?”

That was the first twist. The next would come soon enough. He let the first part sink in and the continued.

“That word. Coward. People throw it around quite a bit, especially around me. I know what people say. ‘Cryax Bane is the Sith’s queen.’ I hate to break it to you, but that word doesn’t mean what you think it means in the context of my situation. Self-preservation is more a apt term. Forgive me though, Keira, sometimes I forget that you’re just an undereducated Correllian.”

He gave her a self-satisfied smirk. There it was, the second twist.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

For a moment all Keira could do was stand there, stunned by all that had been said. That well of emotion in her very core threatened to overflow and burst entirely, manifesting itself in an assault borne entirely of the Force that she would likely regret later. But she remained under some semblance of calm, the only outward sign of all that she was feeling the slight trembling of the surgical instruments that lined the table in front of Cryax, exemplifying all the frustration that was simmering just below the boiling point, threatening to spill over. It was a silent ultimatum, telling of exactly what would happen if he chose to continue with his less than savory remarks. Those weren't the only things eating at her, but they were enough to set her off the edge given what had transpired already.

Once again the distance between them closed as she took a few more steps forward, the two of them now well within reach, there no longer being another organic to separate the two. This was how she was daring him to strike, leaving herself seemingly undefended but hardly vulnerable, as she was perfectly capable of calling her lightsaber into her hand and batting away any attacks before returning with one of her own that would be considerably more efficiently lethal. If he wasn't already perfectly aware of that fact after the time that had been spent with her playing the part of his bodyguard, it would only take one misstep on his part for all of this barely contained rage that both of them held to be released in a violent storm that they would both lament soon after, perhaps at consequence of both of their lives, soon or later.

"I won't like you when you're threatened, won't I? So far all you've done is stand there and wave that scalpel of yours around. I'm not impressed quite that easily." With what guards he had around, regardless of whether they were unarmed or not, it was probably unwise of her to threaten him so freely, but if he was going to be that way, then two could play at that game. This wasn't the reason she had come here, in fact, when she'd first entered the morgue she'd imagined that things would go much more smoothly. Sure, it wouldn't be the most peaceful of discussions, but it wouldn't have come to such blatant, barely contained anger so quickly either. What she'd pictured was something between the two, a conversation that was more heartfelt than the two of them going back and forth like nothing more than two common criminals that had met on the street.

His last two quips touched far more of a personal nerve, and she shook her head in disbelief with a wry smile. Sometimes there really wasn't much else to do other than find amusement in everything he had to say, especially when his supposedly genius, spur of the moment conclusions were so farfetched. "Really, Cryax? If I was part of the coup, I don't think I'd be here right now, just talking to you. No, if I was part of whatever she was planning and had been beforehand, you'd already be dead, because I would have walked in here and snapped your neck just as easily as you're breathing right now." While she didn't entirely agree with the precautions that had been put in place by the Vice President of the Red Ravens, she could see where they were necessary, as this experience perfectly detailed. Sometimes there were evils that were very necessary, and this was one of them.

The final jab that concerned her heritage was far easier to overlook, though not completely brushed off. "You're right, maybe coward isn't the right word. Maybe fil de a chiesulino would suit you better, or perfitulo." Her speaking Old Corellian was more to prove a point above all else, and she didn't concern herself with whether or not he happened to speak the language. All the better if he did, but it wasn't of much consequence if he didn't. "I'll agree, self-preservation is a valuable tactic. But you have a funny way of making it look like you're running off with your tail tucked between your legs to some of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. Or maybe that's just me." A shrug. "You know what they say about telling a Corellian the odds. And when the odds this time are gambling with your life, well..." Her half-smile wasn't quite as friendly as those she'd worn in the past. "I'd be careful, is all."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The table shook from Keira's telekinetic quake, causing the surgical tools to jump around with a light clatter. The dance of the dead. Cryax wrinkled his brow, flashing his glowing red eyes like a warning sign. Then his expression changed to stone.

“I thought that maybe our friendship could be salvaged, but apparently not,” he sniffed. “All you’ve done is stand here and threaten me with your Old Correllian curses and your little Force tricks.” The Chiss gestured to the table, and then frowned. All of his tools were askew. Pity. As he continued talking, he began to obsessively straighten his medical instruments. He only resumed his speech once his tools were exactly parallel to one another.

A grim smile crossed his face as he waved his hand to indicate the cryogenic containers littered around to the morgue. Hearts, lungs, eyes. Same old pusher. Different product.

“Once upon a time I might have asked you to join me in my new, ah...pursuits. But by coming in here, rattling your saber at me, you’ve proven that you’re not intelligent enough to be a criminal mastermind. Go back to being a guard dog, Keira. It suits you much better.”

“Your need to prove your superiority will be your downfall, my dear.” he added, with the voice of a man who felt absolutely nothing.

Bane lifted up a syringe, containing a thin blue fluid. Keira wouldn’t know the contents by looking at it, but it was Norbutal, a powerful paralytic. He tapped the syringe, eyes following the spurt of liquid that erupted from the point of the needle.

He wasn't looking at her anymore.

“Now, I think you should go. Before we both do something we’ll regret.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A slow, shaky exhale was the only herald as to what would come next. This wasn't easy. It wasn't right. All of it was very, very wrong, from the obvious ways to the more subtle ones. It should have been the both of them on the same side, facing off against another adversary, like it had been in the past. It had always been them against the world, Keira and Cryax and the rest of the Ravens. They were in the right and everyone else was wrong, that was how it should have been. How it had been. And how it was supposed to be now. A part of her was still insistent that this was just another nightmare she would wake from, that none of it had ever happened in the first place. But this time, unfortunately, it had bled into reality, and was now firmly rooted there.

Silent tears were the only sign of her composure beginning to crack, and for once she didn't wipe them away, simply letting them flow. If this had been any other person she would have already made good on her threats. It wasn't sounding like all that bad of an idea at this moment, even with him, but she couldn't bring herself to lift a finger against him beyond her passive-aggressive words and actions. It was physically impossible. Only in her own head, certainly, but impossible nonetheless. And she was close, at this point, to simply giving in and walking out of the mortuary altogether, leaving him beyond. But she was a Corellian, and if there was anything she had it was that same never-say-die attitude that the rest of her people harbored.

Opening her mouth, no words were put forth for a moment, and she bit her lower lip as she continued crying, holding back anything more than the tears. A moment passed, and she grit her teeth before speaking. "What do you expect me to do? Have a nice talk about galactic politics, or how you're going to be trying to kill the Ravens from here on out? You know damn well this isn't easy." Her voice cracked on the last word spoken, and once more she fell silent, allowing herself a rare moment to completely feel the emotions coursing through her body at lightspeed, not pushing past them as she typically would in an effort to better focus on the situation at hand. For once she needed to let herself feel, to process everything not only with her logical mind but her heart as well.

The syringe being raised in warning didn't escape her notice, but she couldn't bring herself to care beyond vaguely registering the danger of what could be used as a weapon against her. It didn't matter anymore. None of it did. Not now, at least. He could wave that needle around all he wanted, thinking he was scaring her. And if she had been in a more rational state of mind, she would have been wary. Right now, however, she was the opposite of reasonable. Her frame of mind was far from being negotiated with, except for perhaps with him. Even then, only to a degree. She was slowly severing her emotional ties with the man, however difficult it was.

"I'm beyond regret, Cryax. If you're going to do something, get it over with. But don't just stand there and act like you don't care. Like this isn't hurting you even a little." This was a side of her that, quite literally, only he had seen. It was her vulnerable side, the one that was entirely exposed to any criticisms, the side that was slow to heal. Just as she had this facet she was perfectly aware he did as well, as she'd witnessed herself on the same occasion he'd observed hers. A solidarity had been formed there, and now it had been cast aside. "You lost whatever friendship we had when you betrayed the Ravens. If you think I'm going to forgive something like that, then you're sadly mistaken."

You'll burn for this.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

If Cryax had an emotional weakness, tears would have come about as close to it as one could get. The stone facade cracked momentarily as his glowing red eyes searched hers. Then, just like a dying ember, the light of feeling faded and his orbs resumed their cold, glassy sheen. His brain lacked the circuitry for more than a dim and fleeting remorse.

"Don't you see, Keira? Even under the thumb of the Sith, I have much more freedom here on Coruscant than I ever did during my Presidency. You would deny a man his freedom out of what? Some misguided notion of loyalty to an organization that had strayed off its path?"

Bane gestured to his Verpine henchmen who had been joined by a few white-coated CRC muscle-heads who had been alerted to her presence through the many Holo cams stationed about.

"Am I going to have to have my staff see you out? Or are you leaving of your own accord?"

He couldn't tell friend from enemy anymore, so it was easier to simply push them all way.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

​

A twitch of the fingers, the scrape of something dragging across the duracrete floor, and Keira simply sat on the relatively small but sturdy wheeled gurney. No words, no explanation. Her presence, in defiance of all of his previously stated wishes, was enough. This would either end very good or very badly, and if she'd witnessed enough in her time here, it was plenty to tell her that the next move made by the Chiss and his lackeys wouldn't benefit her in any way. And she had to remind herself that whomever Cryax had been when he still belonged to the Ravens, that man was long gone at this point. This was someone new, someone more ruthless, cold and calculating. Someone she would have possibly gotten on with, had she not already formed an attachment to his other half.

Another twitch of her fingers, and her lightsaber hilt flew into her hand. The blade remained unignited, but that simple motion was enough. It was her own way of cutting ties that were otherwise emotional in nature, steeling herself with the familiar worn leather grip of the weapon that had saved her life on as many occasions as she had preserved the one of the man before her. It was an unassuming object, in anyone else's hands other than one that had been trained to use the saber since early childhood. In her grasp it was turned into an epitome of deadly efficiency, one capable of killing near any individual should she wish it. That was a facet he seemed to almost overlook, given the bravado he was putting on. He could bring in all the guards he wanted, but she would bet anything they weren't prepared for someone like her.

Her amber gaze lingered on the guards for a few seconds, communicating the volatility of all that she was feeling and the fact that she wouldn't hesitate to decimate each and every one of them with a cold precision. Almost lazily she looked back to Cryax, the emotions she'd been displaying minutes earlier gone without a trace, tears already drying on her cheeks. It was more than true that two could play at this game, especially if the game in question was detachment. Ever since her incident in Unknown Space, she had learned not to trust just anyone. But it seemed that warning hadn't been enough, as this had still taken her by surprise. If anything, this event only conditioned her to withdraw herself further from the general population, including those she called friend and had once done in the past.

The barest of shrugs lifted her shoulders for a nanosecond. "They can go ahead and try, sure." Her voice was hoarse from emotions felt too completely and those she was suppressing deep within her core. "But I'm not leaving until I get an explanation. I won't hesitate to cut any guards you have into pieces if they try to escort me out, and we both know I'm perfectly capable. So let's stop with the threats and cut to the chase, Cryax. I'd rather not have to kill you so soon." Where once her voice had been swelling with emotion it was now nearly devoid of such, and while she was looking at him her gaze almost went past Cryax, as if focusing on a different point in time altogether. A better time, before the thought of any of this transpiring had crossed his mind. Before they had all been adversaries. When they had still been family.

"So go ahead, try me. The only person you'll be hurting is yourself."

[member="Cryax Bane"]